6 “Therefore, command that cedars from Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants’ wages according to whatever you say, for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”z

7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord today!aa He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!” 8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying, “I have heard your message; I will do everything you want regarding the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away. You then can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”a

10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, 11 and Solomon provided Hiram with one hundred twenty thousand bushelsA of wheat as food for his household and one hundred twenty thousand gallonsB of oil from crushed olives.b Solomon did this for Hiram year after year.

12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him.c There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.d

SOLOMON’S WORK FORCE

13 Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel;e the labor force numbered thirty thousand men. 14 He sent ten thousand to Lebanon each month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand porters and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains,f 16 not including his thirty-three hundred* deputiesg in charge of the work. They supervised the people doing the work. 17 The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.h 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders,i along with the Gebalites,j quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the temple’s construction.